Spring Cleaning FAQs and Tips

It's that time of year when the mornings get brighter, the daffodils begin to bloom and gorgeous new lambs are frolicking in the fields. Oh and what's that marked on the calendar? Uh-oh! The annual spring clean.

Yes that's right, it's time to whip out your feather duster and get cleaning!

Not sure where to start? Wondering if spring cleaning is even a real thing? Or why you should bother? We've dedicated a whole blog post to answering your Spring Cleaning FAQs. You'll also find some handy tips and tricks to help you get started and a spring cleaning checklist you can download to your phone or print out, as a little reminder.

How did the idea of spring cleaning come about?

When asked, 'what is spring cleaning?' most people will be able to tell you the answer - a deep cleaning of the home (or workplace) that takes place in the spring time. The name says it all, doesn't it?

But ask someone how the idea of spring cleaning came about and you may be met with a puzzled look. You see, whilst we all accept that spring cleaning is an age old tradition, not many of us know why.

The term dates back to Victorian times when people would do an annual deep clean to get rid of the soot and grime caused by burning coal, wood and kerosine, throughout the winter. This would involve cleaning the entire house and opening up all of the windows to allow for proper ventilation. Of course this could only be done once the weather was a little warmer i.e. in the spring!

Spring cleaning has religious influences too. In Jewish communities, spring cleaning is directly linked to the celebration of Passover, which takes place in March or April. Christians choose to clean church altars, the day before Good Friday and followers of Greek Orthodox clean their homes a whole week leading up to lent. There's also the Iranian celebration of Nowruz, which stretches over two weeks at the beginning of spring and involves worshippers cleaning their homes, buying new clothes and spending time with family.

Interesting, don't you think?

What month is spring cleaning?

There is no right or wrong time to carry out spring cleaning. Here in the UK, the first day of spring is March 2020 so any time around now will do just fine! Most people tend to do their spring cleaning in March or April.

What is the point of spring cleaning?

First of all, no one's saying you have to do a spring clean. There are no rules - after all, it's your house! The reason people like to do a spring clean is that it involves deep cleaning the areas of the house that may often get missed or avoided in a regular, weekly clean. It's a way of refreshing your home after a cold winter and getting it ready for the warmer months.

As well as doing a deep clean, many people also like to declutter during the spring. This involves giving away, recycling and in some cases, throwing out, unwanted items.

Benefits of spring cleaning

• Cleaning now gives you more time to spend with your family & friends doing fun things in the summer
• It'll make it quicker & easier to clean your home in the future
• It will make you feel better about your home
• It can help get rid of any germs and allergens

What do you need for spring cleaning?

Cleaning products - Head to the supermarket and you'll find a whole aisle dedicated to cleaning products for all sorts of different tasks. Do you need to buy them? Not necessarily! You can make an effective disinfectant spray just by combining 1 part water with 1 part vinegar and adding a few drops of lemon juice. If you're not keen on abrasive chemicals, there are plenty of alternatives out there. Take a look at our post on eco-friendly cleaning for more info.

Spray bottles - For putting your homemade cleaning products in

Vacuum - For carpet cleaning

Mop or steam mop - For cleaning hard floors

Duster - For removing dust from ceilings / lamp fixtures

Cleaning cloths & sponges - Microfibre cloths are great for streak-free cleaning

Old toothbrush - Perfect for cleaning hard-to-reach areas and tile grouting

Rubber gloves - Optional but good for protecting your hands

What is included in spring cleaning?

Not sure where to start with spring cleaning? We suggest targeting the rooms you used the most first. Work top to bottom: dusting the ceilings and light fixtures for cobwebs, wiping down the windows, removing marks from walls, dusting surfaces and moving down to your skirting boards.

Carpet and floor cleaning

Vacuuming your carpets and floors will pick up dirt, dust and other nasties, helping to keep the surfaces clean and hygienic. If you're serious about spring cleaning, we'd suggest giving your carpets a deep clean and steam cleaning your floors.

Shampooing your carpets is a great way to reach some of the deeper levels of dirt and grime, embedded in the fibres of your carpet. Steam cleaning your floors will greatly improve their overall look, whilst making them safer for any children crawling about.

For further guidance, we suggest checking out our top carpet cleaning secrets.

Appliance cleaning

When's the last time you cleaned your washing machine? Let's face it, you can't expect it to wash your clothes well if it's covered in grime. If it's been a while since you cleaned your washing machine, we'd suggest running it on a hot wash (without any clothes), using your usual detergent. Next, grab a cloth and wipe around the door seal to get rid of any grime. Finally, open the detergent drawer and give it a good clean. It'll make such a difference!

Other appliances to clean include:

• Fridge
• Freezer
• Oven

Did you know oven cleaning is one of Brits' least favourite chores? If it's something you don't want to do yourself, hire us to clean it for you! We offer oven cleaning as an add-on service for our regular domestic cleaning and end of tenancy cleans.

Upholstery cleaning

Don't forget to give your upholstery and curtains a good clean this spring. Remove things like cushion covers, throws and bedding and put them in the washing machine. We'd also suggest putting your pets' bedding in the washing machine too - it'll get rid of any nasties lurking there.

Outdoor cleaning

Once you've finished cleaning inside your home, you may want to make a start outdoors. That way, you can really make the most of the lovely weather when it (finally) comes along!

Here are a few outdoor cleaning tasks to add to your list:

• Patio furniture (pressure washer or white vinegar scrub and hose)
• Outside window panes and frames (Maximise the daylight!)
• Patio / decking (pressure washing can give it a new lease of life)
• Children's play equipment / toys (soap and water or an anti-bacterial spray)
• Waste bins and recycling area (important for pest-prevention)
• Barbecue (ready for grilling in the sunshine!)

De-cluttering tips for spring

Looking for a way to create more space in your home this spring? Here are a few questions to consider when deciding whether to keep or get rid of items in your home...

• Do you really need the item?
• Have you used it in the past 6 months?
• Do you plan to use it?
• Does it hold any sentimental value?

Rather than simply throwing the item away, consider whether it can be used by someone else. If it's in good condition, try selling it on Facebook Marketplace (or another site), giving it to a friend or donating it to charity. If the item isn't going to be any use to anyone, see if it can be recycled. The less that goes to landfill the better!

Spring cleaning checklist

As promised, here's a handy spring cleaning checklist for you to download and print. We've left a few spaces so you can add your own spring cleaning tasks too!

Simply right click your mouse and locate ‘save as’ to save the spring cleaning checklist to your computer or if you’re on a phone or tablet, tap and hold the image and select add to photos.

Spring cleaning services

Don't fancy doing a spring clean? No time to clean your home? No problem! Our professional team of cleaners are available to deep clean your home from top to bottom, ensuring it is left spotless.

We have availability for one-off cleans over spring or if you'd prefer to book us for regularly cleaning we can do that too!

All you need to do is head to our booking page to get a quote. Alternatively, if you'd prefer to speak to a human (and a friendly one at that) simply give us a call on 0115 9486363 and a member of our customer care team will discuss your requirements and get you booked in.

We hope you've found our spring cleaning post useful. Please feel free to share it with your friends on social media! And as always, if you have any cleaning questions or want to know more about our Nottingham cleaning services, drop us an email: info@ng1citycleaners.co.uk or DM on Facebook.